Their Last Journey
by Lady Eivel
Summary: My take on what may have been happening on the train before, during and after the crash. A little weird, but please r&r anyway. Rating to be safe.


Summary: My take on what might have happened before, during and after the train crash.

Disclaimer: Much as I hate to admit it, Narnia belongs to a load of people with more money than me. Also, if I owned Narnia, I wouldn't be writing stories about my own stuff.

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Edmund sat by the window of their carriage, face resting on his hand which was, in turn, resting on the window. Peter chatted with Lucy on the seat next to their brother, and Mr and Mrs Pevensie looked lovingly at their children and thought about how much they had grown, matured and remembered what they were like when they were younger. The bags lay on the racks over head.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Lucy was excited, bouncing on her seat. "Budge over Ed, I want to see if I can see the station!" Edmund laughed and obligingly moved over for his younger sister. Peter smiled at her enthusiasm.

"All journeys take time, Lu. We'll be there soon, and Eustace and Jill and the Professor and Polly will all be waiting for us there. Anyway, we saw them a week ago!"

"I know, but it's so fun at the mansion! And we'll have cake and play hide-and-seek and eat sweets on the lawn…"

"As long as it's not Turkish Delight, I don't mind." Edmund went distant for a second. Peter put his arm round his baby brother and Lucy snuggled up to him.

"Honestly Ed, you used to love the stuff!" his father commented, watching the scene with affection and a little confusion.

"Oh, something happened at the Professor's house and I just sort of went off it. The cook couldn't make it properly and I got… food poisoning. I could barely stand to look at the stuff since then." There was silence for a little while.

"It's the station!" Lucy's yell brought Edmund over to the window.

"If it's the station, then the train's going too fast."

"But Ed look- Jill and Eustace and the others are there!"

"By Jove… Maybe we're on the wrong train!" As he said it, they heard the screeching of the brakes.

"We're going too fast!" Edmund yelled "Lucy- get back!" Lucy screamed. Peter leapt over, wrapping his arms around his little sister, dragging her back. The train slammed into the station platform, sending them all flying. Lucy hit her head and everything went black.

Consciousness took a while to return. When it did, it brought a lot of pain. Her legs felt like they were on fire and her head was throbbing madly. She could hardly breathe. Then she remembered who was holding her…

"P-peter?" she called. No reply. She heaved the body off her back. Peter's eyes opened as he landed on the floor.

"Lu-cy?"

"Peter- you're all right!" but this was proved wrong as Peter began coughing. Blood trickled out the corner of his mouth.

"Where's… Ed?" he choked. Lucy looked around. Her legs were trapped beneath the chair they had been sitting on. Then she saw something that was far worse.

Ed lay just less than a meter away. His eyes were open and staring at her. There was no life in them and Ed was not breathing. A huge piece of metal was embedded in the side of his head and a suitcase was lying on his chest. From its level in comparison to the floor, Lucy guessed it had crushed Ed's lungs. Tears trickled down Lucy's cheeks. Tentatively, she reached over and closed Edmund's eyes. Peter managed to look round. The horror on his face was plain as he saw what had happened to his baby brother.

"No…" the whisper brought Lucy's attention back to her other brother. There was still hope for him.

"Shhh, it's going to be alright. It wouldn't have hurt for Ed and we'll see him again someday. He'll be with Aslan and we'll see both of them some day. Just not today." Peter shook his head.

"Lucy, I've got metal in me too. In my side, under my arm." Lucy looked down and saw with horror that the area around his right arm was dark with blood. She looked back up to Peter's face- which was very pale.

"Don't go Peter. Please…"

"Aslan… He's… there. Goodbye… Lucy…" Peter's eyes glazed over.

"No Peter! Don't go- please!" but it was too late. Lucy laid her head on her brother's chest and sobbed as flames engulfed the carriage.

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Susan stood in the morgue of the hospital, staring at the five bodies in front of her. Only her father was really recognizable- he had been thrown out the window when the crash happened. The other four were horribly disfigured. Apparently the train had caught fire about half an hour after the crash. Lucy had apparently died in the blaze, as the post-mortem had found nothing else wrong apart from the fact that her feet were slightly crushed.

Edmund, Peter and her mother had seemingly died before hand. Edmund had massive brain trauma from a piece of metal embedded in his head. He'd also had his lungs and ribs crushed by a falling suitcase. Peter had had a piece of metal in his side, and had apparently died of blood loss. Mrs Pevensie's neck had been broken. Eustace, Jill, the Professor and Polly had all been crushed by the train when it came onto the platform. Eustace and Jill's parents were on their way right now to identify the bodies.

Susan wondered if Lucy might have been able to escape, despite the wounds on her feet. It may have been possible, according to doctors. But Lucy was loyal like her sister wasn't- she had chosen to stay with her family to the last.

Susan stifled a sob. If only she had been there. Persuading them not to take the trip would, according to logic, have been hopeless, but she couldn't help feeling that if she had just tried that little bit harder, they might not have gone. At the least, she might have gotten them to take the next train. But no. For once, Susan Pevensie- overachieving, beautiful, popular Susan- had failed.

Life would go on. The funerals would have to be arranged. Wills had been found, and it seemed she was now the rightful owner of the Professor's manor. She didn't really want it. It brought back too many memories. It had been the place which started the silly games they had played before… before she grew up. The others had still believed, but she had moved on. Had it really been growing up? Did a 'mature' opinion mean you were mature? Often she had had the niggling feeling that, childish though they may have seemed, her siblings had a knowledge that went far beyond her own. A knowledge enabling them to retain five years worth of memories they shouldn't have had.

They would be buried in the place the memories came from. The manor's grounds were large enough to accommodate five or six graves. Maybe even nine, if it came to that.

And maybe, just maybe, Susan would check if the memories weren't just imagination after all…


End file.
